Syria's Bashar al-Assad will fight Western 'aggression'

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said his country will defend itself against Western aggression, as the UK and US seek support for intervention.

The five permanent Security Council members have begun to meet for a second day of talks on a draft resolution.
The US and UK say the Assad regime killed hundreds in recent poison gas attacks. Damascus denies the claims and blames the attacks on rebels.
UN chemical weapons experts are in Syria investigating the attacks.

At the scene

Assaf Aboud BBC Arabic, Damascus

Anxiety may be haunting the population of Damascus, but there is no sign of panic as they go about their daily routines. Government offices are operating as normal in their normal locations.
Nor can one see any impact from the crisis on the availability of food. There is plenty of flour and the ministry of supply says that there are sufficient reserves of it.
In the early days of the crisis, some people started to stockpile food, but when in the following days they realised there was enough they stopped stockpiling, especially because of the high prices.
With all the tourists gone from Damascus, the only inhabitants of the hotels are either journalists or people working for international organisations. In Hamadiyeh market, merchants without customers to serve sit around watching TV to follow the latest developments.

In pictures: Crisis deepens

They are due to finish their work on Friday and give their preliminary findings to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at the weekend.

Samples taken during their site visits will be tested in various European laboratories.
It is unclear when the inspectors' final report will be released. The UN has said the tests will take "longer than days".
Their mandate does not involve apportioning blame for the attacks, which took place in eastern Damascus on 21 August and left at least 355 dead.
'Unanimous reaction' urged The UK pushed for a UN Security Council resolution facilitating the use of force on Wednesday, but no agreement was reached.
The five permanent members - Russia, France, China, the UK and US - reconvened at 18:30 GMT.
Russia, which has twice blocked resolutions condemning Mr Assad, called the meeting.
Analysts say Moscow is unlikely to agree to any resolution approving the use of force in Syria.
Russia has close ties with the Assad government, supplying its armed forces with weapons and basing its warships in Syria's ports.
Earlier, German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin over the phone to urge Russia to help the Security Council frame a "quick, unanimous international reaction".

“Start Quote

In one sense it is relatively easy for Mr Obama not to get dragged in”

Mark Mardell North America editor

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However, the British prime minister's office said in a statement that the UK could still take "exceptional measures including targeted military intervention" on humanitarian grounds, even if the Security Council could not agree.

British MPs will vote later on a motion that backs the principle of military intervention and says "a UN process must be followed as far as possible".
US officials are expected to brief senior Congress politicians later on the evidence against Mr Assad's government.